


Like Tears In Rain

by elaiel



Category: Blade Runner (Movies), Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen, Heavy Angst, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-22 04:36:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17053265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elaiel/pseuds/elaiel
Summary: “So the simple answer,” Keller told them, “is he’s not human." [...] Keller pressed her lips together for a moment. “He says he’s a “replicant”, a synthetic being made in the image of a human. He was made as a copy of their Dr McKay to work in their outer planets mining industry.”





	Like Tears In Rain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tarlan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/gifts).
  * Inspired by [ART - The Wall](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17015931) by [Tarlan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan). 



> A short, written because I liked Tarlan's sadly unclaimed SGA reverse bang art. Written hurriedly in my lunch hour and currently unbetaed as I wanted to post it ASAP.

Sheppard scrubbed his hands through his hair. 

“I thought you had closed down the lab with the dimensional transference kit in.” He said looking at where Rodney was staring through the glass into the cell. 

“I did.” Rodney turned and scowled at him. “It wasn’t functional at all. I decommissioned the program as instructed.” He turned back to the man in the black leather-like suit in the cell. “The last thing I wanted was to come across another me.”

The man in the cell was sitting on the floor, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the edge of the bench.

“What is he doing?” Woolsey asked.

“Playing the piano.” Rodney said absently, looking at the tablet in his hand. “Moonlight Sonata.”

 

oooxxxooo

 

“So the simple answer,” Keller told them, “is he’s not human.”

That answer stunned even Rodney into silence for all of five seconds.

“Wha-”

John slapped a hand over Rodney’s mouth and interrupted. “What is he, a Replicator, a Clone?”

Keller pressed her lips together for a moment. “He  _ says _ he’s a “replicant”, a synthetic being made in the image of a human. He was made as a copy of their Dr McKay to work in their outer planets mining industry.” With a quick swipe on her tablet she forwarded them all her outline report. “Everything I can see confirms that.”

They took a moment to scan the report, Keller waited for them to read through the first few paragraphs, giving an extra minute or so for Ronon, whose English comprehension was good, but his reading speed still developing.

“Additionally, he says he has a hardwired four year lifespan.” She said. “I haven’t been able to identify anything in the tests to confirm that, but according to him he has eighteen months left to live.”

“But why would anyone do that?!” Rodney’s tone was outraged. “He’s virtually human!”

Keller shrugged. “He says it’s a control mechanism. The authorities didn’t want replicants to be considered human or gain rights. If they’re only going to live for four years, then they’re only temporary.”

“But it’s inhuman, and a terrible waste of resources!” McKay sputtered. 

Keller shrugged again. “I get the impression that in the sort of situations a lot of them were used, they didn’t have a very safe or long lifespan anyway.”

“Can you fix it?” Ronon asked.

“Should we fix it?” Woolsey countered.

There was the expected uproar before Woolsey waved them all to silence. 

“I’m not saying that we shouldn’t, just that we should think about it first.”

Rodney took a deep breath and Woolsey cut in again before he could speak.

“Where would be go?” He asked. “It would sound, from what he has told Doctor Keller, that to return would be a death sentence.” He looked round at them all. “Do we know what he actually wants?”

Keller nodded. “He wants sanctuary for his remaining lifespan to finish the write up of his work on inter-dimensional wormholes and expand his initial hypothesis into a working theorem if possible. The only thing he has asked for is a living and working space. He requested….” she referred to her notes, “food and accommodation, access to a window so he can see the outdoors, unlimited pens and paper and finally any scientific materials or journals and a computer of the highest specification that we feel we can give him without compromising our own security protocols.”

Woolsey nodded thoughtfully. “That seems very reasonable.”

“But you have to fix him!” Rodney demanded.

Keller looked at him sadly. “I don’t know if I can fix him.” She said quietly. “I don’t even know what’s wrong with him.”

 

xxxoooxxx

 

Woolsey thumbed the communications pad. “Doctor McKay.”

The replicant turned to look at the glass. His view scanned over Woolsey, then Keller and AR1 standing behind him.

“I’m not Doctor McKay.” He said. “I had an allocated name and a reference number, but I call myself Wolfgang.” He gave them a long look, then added. “I like Mozart.”

“Doctor Wolfgang.” Woolsey corrected himself. “My name is Richard Woolsey, I am in charge of this facility. I understand that you have requested political asylum from us as your life is in danger should you return.”

Wolfgang nodded. “Those morons cannot see that what they created in their own image is in their own image in almost every way.” He snapped. “The waste, the sheer waste of talent and time!”

“Indeed.” Woolsey said. “Our laws give me the ability to grant you political asylum. I can’t promise that we will be able to give you a great deal of freedom, the nature of our position on this base is complicated, but we can provide you with a reasonably comfortable space to live and work.”

Doctor Wolfgang’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “That’s….good, that’s very good.” 

“You can see they modelled him of other universe you.” John muttered to Rodney. 

Ronon snickered as Rodney elbowed John in the ribs. 

 

xxxoooxxx

 

“I’m sorry.” Rodney looked down at Wolfgang.

Keller moved around the bed set up in front of the big glass doors onto the balcony and injected something into the cannula port in Wolfgang’s left hand.

Wolfgang gave him a lopsided grin. “It’s okay.” He said, his eyes sliding away from Rodney to scan over the rainswept ocean outside the window. “I’ve had the time of my life.”

“He would be a lot more comfortable in Medical.” Keller said.

Wolfgang made a derogatory noise. “Rubbish.” He said. “I spent too long cooped up before. To study for eighteen months by the ocean...”

“On the damn pier!” Rodney cut in. “When there’s a perfectly good laboratory allocated to you!”

“On the damn pier.” Wolfgang agreed. “It was worth it. I want to die free.” He turned his head to Rodney. “Have they replied?” 

Rodney nodded. “We pushed your paper through the SGC peer review channels as urgent on...compassionate grounds. That’s why I came up.”

“Read it to me?” Wolfgang asked. “The responses?”

Keller looked at Rodney and mouthed over Wolfgang’s head.  _ He may not have time. _

Rodney started to read anyway. 

John and Teyla joined them over an hour later, followed shortly after by Ronon with Miko and Radek. Wolfgang smiled at them. Rodney took a sip of the coffee John passed him and kept reading.

xxxoooxxx

The rain had come, gone and come back again by the time Rodney finished.

“It’s been a blast.” Wolfgang's voice was barely above a whisper. “I left you some more things.” He coughed and Keller leaned to wipe his mouth. “On my computer...whole bunch of files on...metallurgy, genetic engineering, things....you...don’t have here…that I remembered for you. A gift….thank you.” His eyes closed a moment, then he forced them back open with an effort of will. “Glad they liked my research. Glad it was...I made...an impact.”

“You’re a scientist in your own right.” Miko said. “Your own person. Your own research. It’s recorded as you.”

Wolfgang smiled, his breath hitched, and faded.

Rodney stood. “I’m not crying!” He snapped. “I’m…” He patted Wolfgang’s slack hand then walked out onto the balcony. “It’s just the rain.”


End file.
